The point is made to not only show how far back Shell's desire for fuel efficiency goes, but that Greenshields achieved his 49mpg – still acceptable by today's commercial standards – using a stripped down 1924 Studebaker.

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Throughout his career, Greenshields actively encouraged technological development, launching the "Mileage Marathon" – a program in which new engineers redesign automobile engines to maximise gasoline economy. Over the years, this Mileage Marathon morphed into Shell's annual Eco-marathon competition, with three main events in Asia, Americas and Europe; attracting thousands of young engineers and students aiming to push the boundaries of automotive energy efficiency.

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This year, the Euro Eco-marathon leg is being held in the UK at Shell’s Make the Future Live event at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, from today (May 25) to May 28.

Things have moved on since Greenshields' Studebaker, of course. The current record, for example, stands at 3,771km/l – from London to Helsinki and back again on just one litre of fuel.

Shell's Urban Concept vehicle

WIRED

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“That record was set by Team Microjoule from France, and this hasn’t been improved since 2009. So we have peaked a bit," says Koch. "But it's now grown into one of the largest competitions in the world for energy efficiency. Some 800 universities from 53 countries this year have applied. In March, we had the Singapore event for Asia with 120 teams. The Americas event had eight countries represented by 117 teams. Now we have the European heat with 26 countries and 177 teams – and each team has a car. Usually, a team has between eight to 15 members, so we are looking at some 3,000 students here.”

The Eco-marathon challenge is simple to outline, but not to actually do. Teams must build a car that does the most miles per gallon. Shell does not prescribe the fuel; teams can choose from gasoline, diesel, ethanol, compressed natural gas, synthetic diesel. There is also a separate category for electric drive trains. There are no budget restrictions but the students have to fund the projects themselves and secure their own sponsorship.

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The best car entries weigh around 26kg, while the driver must weigh 50kg minimum. The whole fuel system has to be transparent so the judges can see exactly where the fuel goes, and there are different sized tanks available. The top teams have a 30ml version. “Less than a shot glass," points out Koch. "And they only need about a teaspoon of that for the 16km run; about 4 to 4.5ml."

The engine bay of the Urban Concept, compete with tiny fuel tank and Honda 150cc engine

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When using such little fuel, accurate measurement is key. "It is very complicated so we do this gravimetrically and go into a secure room with dampened springs and no wind to weigh the tank. For electric and hydrogen its a lot easier because you have flow meters and you just read the value,” Koch continues.

Joining in with the spirit of proceedings, Shell has built five of its own cars – two Prototypes and three Urban Concepts that WIRED got to take for a spin. One of these Urban Concepts has been retrofitted with an autonomous drive system by Oxford Robotics.

This Shell Urban Concept has been retrofitted by Oxford Robotics with an autonomous drive system

WIRED

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“We built these according to the spec of the competition but purely to serve as show cars," explains Koch. "They are heavier and more sturdy and can be transported around the world to be used as demo cars, unlike the student ones which are very fragile and are often built around the measurements of a particular driver.”

At the heart of the 70kg three-wheel Shell Prototype lies a Honda 150cc single cylinder four-stroke engine – one of the most built engines in the world, also found in many strimmers and lawnmowers. "The volume to weight and power ratio is exceptional,” Koch enthuses. “It has a 150ml tank so it can go a few laps meaning it’s not nearly as efficient as the competition cars, but it does give you the feeling of being in a cramped space and having to drive under the same conditions.” Though not competition level, the efficiency of the Prototype is over 500mpg.

Shell's Urban Concept, built in Taiwan by Technologic Design Corp, was designed to show how these technologies and developments might be manifested on a road-legal car and must have doors, a windscreen, wipers, lights, an upright seating position, and seatbelts - everything to make it legal to drive on public highways. The Honda 150cc engine is good for a max speed of just 39km/h but it can travel up to 100km on just one litre of fuel.

The cockpit of the 70kg three-wheel Shell Prototype

WIRED

Talking of real-world application, Koch outlines the benefits of the competition and is quick to point out Shell does not gain any intellectual property from the endeavours of the individual student teams. “The biggest contribution to the auto industry is that we pass on about 10,000 students a year that have gone through this programme, have this knowledge of energy efficiency and how it relates to building a car.

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“We do have anecdotal evidence over the years that quite a few technologies have come out of Eco Marathon. But the biggest innovations that get patented these days are algorithms in battery electric cars – in charging and discharging cycles," Koch says. "These cars are, in the end, now computers on wheels.”

Apparently, many universities also invest a lot of R&D in composite design, not only carbon fibre but by using hemp and organic resins, for example. "Carbon fibre is very problematic to recycle. When you build a layered composite with hemp and an organic resin you get something that has very similar properties to carbon fibre but you have a product that you can just shred and it will compost,” Koch says.

“We have an alumni site on LinkedIn. One of the 2012 competitors from Crete is now the chief motor engineer at Tesla out in California. He’s since recruited five more of his teammates into Tesla. And we know lots of others that go into the business, for Toyota, for Mercedes. This is the real contribution. We are helping nearly 10,000 alumni get into the industry that have had real-world experience in fuel efficiency.”